Compensation for elephant damage, injury or death

An answer, or a problem in itself?

Many reports have come back from the field which, by the large majority, show that compensating farmers the for the loss of crops is not feasible.

Take for example the case in the TransMara...

Compensation for lost crops
A few years ago the Kenyan Government decided it would compensate people for their loss of crops to elephant damage. What this resulted in was a flood of claims that could not be substantiated.

It has been said (and seen) that people, especially those from outside the region, would come in, clear some forest, plant some seeds and then just leave. When the time came for the crop to mature, they would simply enter a claim for damaged crops by elephants.

Not only did the compensation fuel false claims, but it also resulted in an acceleration of forest destruction as people cleared fields to plant corn, in order to simply make a claim.

Compensation for death or injury
What has been kept in place is compensation for death or injury by elephants.

Anyone injured by an elephant in Kenya can claim 15,000 Kenyan Schillings (US$180). If they are killed, their family can claim 30,000 Kenyan Schillings (US$360).

Even by Kenyan standards, this isn't much. What compounds the problem further is the standard 5 year waiting period before any claim can be paid. As one local put it: "What they give you isn't even enough for a coffin."

As is shown by the stories of some of the victims, the hardship introduced by infirmities caused by an attack, and the inadequate compensation, can lead to an increased resentment of the elephants and those that seek to protect them.

Compensation for livestock
The Kenya Wildlife Service does not compensate farmers who have lost their cattle to wildlife attacks.

More can be read on this via the IUCN- Human Elephant Conflict Working Group web site.